Methods, systems, and apparatus for dynamically adjusting radiated signals

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for providing dynamically adjusted radiated signals are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of detecting one or more objects in a path of travel of a vehicle may include generating a laser with radiated power. The method may further include emitting the laser in a direction of travel of the vehicle and receiving one or more reflections of the emitted laser reflected from the one or more objects located in the direction of travel of the vehicle. The method may also further include generating a signal indicating that the one or more objects are in a path of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections. The method may also include dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle or (ii) a current position of the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/253,516, filed on Aug. 31, 2016, entitled “Methods, Systems, andApparatus for Dynamically Adjusting Radiated Signals,” which is assignedto the assignee hereof and of which the entire contents are herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to object detection systems,and more particularly to techniques for providing dynamic and adaptivecontrol of radiated signals used in adaptive vehicle speed controlsystems.

BACKGROUND

Various systems (e.g., automated control system(s)) may be used onboardvehicles (and/or computing devices in communication with the vehicles)to facilitate driving functions, autonomous or otherwise. For example,the autonomous driving functions may include steering controls,acceleration controls, braking controls, or other aspects of pilotingvehicles. In some implementations, one or more of these (or other)driving functions may be integrated into a safety, accident avoidance,or other safety system or package. Such functions and/or systems orpackages allow for automated (e.g., computerized) control of aspects ofthe driving functions. For example, as part of the acceleration and/orbraking controls, the automated control system may be configured tocontrol a vehicle speed of the autonomous vehicle. The automated controlsystem may be further configured to monitor an environment of thevehicle, for example, via a condition monitoring system. Accordingly,when the automated control system is controlling braking for thevehicle, the control system may monitor the environment in front of thevehicle to identify any conditions that may result in slowing the speedor movement of the vehicle. Such monitoring of the environment in frontof (and elsewhere around) the vehicle may be performed by one or moresensors. Operating the one or more sensors at a constant power may beproblematic in zones having different driving speeds.

Accordingly, as the environment of the vehicle changes based on speedand/or position of the vehicle, methods, system, and apparatus ofadaptively and/or dynamically controlling the power of the conditionmonitoring system are desired.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have severalinnovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for thedesirable attributes disclosed herein.

In one aspect, a method of detecting one or more objects in a path oftravel of a vehicle may include generating a laser having a radiatedpower. The method may further include emitting the laser in a directionof travel of the vehicle and receiving one or more reflections of theemitted laser reflected from the one or more objects located in thedirection of travel of the vehicle. The method may also further includegenerating a signal indicating that the one or more objects are in apath of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections. Themethod may also include dynamically adjusting the radiated power of thelaser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a currentspeed of the vehicle or (ii) a current position of the vehicle.

In another aspect, an apparatus for detecting one or more objects in apath of travel of a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus comprises anoptical circuit comprising a laser and a controller. The optical circuitis configured to generate a laser having a radiated power and emit thelaser in a direction of travel of the vehicle. The optical circuit isalso configured to receive one or more reflections of the emitted laserreflected from the one or more objects in the direction of travel of thevehicle. The optical circuit is further configured to generate a signalindicating the one or more objects are in a path of the vehicle based onthe received one or more reflections. The controller is configured todynamically adjust the radiated power of the laser based on an inputcorresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle or(ii) a current position of the vehicle.

In another aspect, another apparatus for detecting one or more objectsin a path of travel of a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus comprisesmeans for generating a laser having a radiated power and means foremitting the laser in a direction of travel of the vehicle. Theapparatus further comprises means for receiving one or more reflectionsof the emitted laser reflected from the one or more objects located inthe direction of travel of the vehicle. The apparatus also comprisesmeans for generating a signal indicating that the one or more objectsare in a path of the vehicle based on the received one or morereflections. The apparatus also further comprises means for dynamicallyadjusting the radiated power of the laser based on an inputcorresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle or(ii) a current position of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will becomeapparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a vehicle traveling along a roadway ina left lane where a person is standing in the left lane in front of thevehicle in a direction of vehicle travel, in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the vehicle traveling along theroadway where the person is standing in front of the vehicle in thedirection of vehicle travel and where the vehicle is shown sending asignal or pulse that is reflected from the person, in accordance withaspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of an adaptively controlled conditionmonitoring system (e.g., a computer system or vehicle control unit orsystem) that includes a GPS device, a speedometer, an advanced driverassistance system (ADAS), a LIDAR system, and a person, in accordancewith aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 2B illustrates a generic circuit diagram illustrating an example ofcomponents that may form the adaptively controlled condition monitoringsystem of FIG. 2A, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an adaptively controlledcondition monitoring device that may be employed as depicted in FIGS.1-2B, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a process flowchart illustrating an example method foradaptively controlling radiated signals operable by the adaptivelycontrolled condition monitoring device of FIGS. 1-3 , in accordance withaspects of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Vehicles are being produced having varying levels of automateddrivability options. While cruise control has existed for decades,adaptive cruise control (e.g., enabling the vehicle to automaticallyincrease and/or decrease vehicle speed based on other vehicles aroundthe vehicle) has only been recently developed, with accident avoidanceand/or safety sensing systems being some of the most recentdevelopments. Additionally, various manufacturers offer systems thatprovide automated steering controls (e.g., self-parking and/orself-driving systems). As vehicles become more intelligent with suchautomated systems, the vehicles may be required to process more and moredata and require more and more power, the systems may be adapted toadjust their operation based on conditions in which they operate (e.g.,an environment of the vehicle and/or speed of the vehicle). In someembodiments, the environment of the vehicle may include drivingconditions, neighboring vehicles, a geographic region in which thevehicle is traveling, or any other environmental parameters that mayimpact operation of one or more systems of the vehicle. Accordingly, asystem's ability to adjust its operation automatically and dynamicallymay be critical to reducing processing and power consumption of thevehicle and reduce interference with other vehicles and further increasesafety of the vehicle operating in an automated (or semi-automated)state.

Methods, systems, and apparatus controlling the power and/or strength ofsignals radiated by an adaptively controlled condition monitoring systemfor automobiles are described herein. While automobiles are used inexemplary embodiments described herein, the methods, system, andapparatus described herein may apply to any motorized mode oftransportation or any situations where environmental conditionmonitoring may be adaptively controlled to promote efficiency and reduceinterference (from multiple reflections and with other conditionmonitoring systems of other vehicles). The methods, system, andapparatus described herein take advantage of input from speedinformation (e.g., from a speedometer) and location information (e.g.,from a GPS in a navigation system of the vehicle) to perform theadaptive control of signals radiated by the vehicle's conditionmonitoring system.

In some embodiments, monitoring requirements of the environment by theadaptively controlled condition monitoring system may be dependent uponone or both of the speed and/or the location of the vehicle. Forexample, when the vehicle is traveling at highway or interstate speeds,the braking distance of the vehicle may be greater than 150 feet, and,thus, the monitoring of the environment in front of the vehicle shoulddetect conditions (e.g., objects in front of the vehicle) at distancesgreater than 150 feet so the system is able to stop the vehicle beforeimpacting the object in front of it. However, when the vehicle istraveling at speeds lower than the highway or interstate speedsdescribed herein, the system may only need to be configured to identifyconditions (e.g., the object) at much smaller distances because thevehicle may be able to stop more quickly and knowledge of conditions 150feet away is unnecessary. Thus, the detection capabilities of thecondition monitoring system may be proportional to the braking distanceof the vehicle. Such adaptability of the power and/or strength ofsignals radiated by the control system may help minimize interference atlow speeds or in populated environments where the radiated signals maygenerate a large number of reflections. Accordingly, the one or moresensors that monitor the environment of the vehicle may adjust theirpower based on the monitoring requirements to reduce power consumptionand reduce processing needs at low speeds while maintaining the abilityto increase power (and thus range) at higher speeds.

As described herein, in some aspects, speed information and positioninformation of the vehicle may be used by the method, system, and/orapparatus to control the power and/or strength of the radiated signal(e.g., LASER power by a LIDAR). One example of an advantage of theproposed method, system, and apparatus may include an ability to reducea number of reflections received from the radiated signal in a denselypopulated area like a downtown street which may be more populated thanan empty freeway. On the downtown street, the speed of the vehicle islikely lower than on the freeway, and, accordingly, a braking distanceof the vehicle is likely smaller than while driving at freeway speeds.Additionally, on the downtown street, objects of interest are likelymuch closer to the vehicle than at freeway speeds (say a few meters awayon the downtown street vs. many meters away on the freeway). Thus,detecting an object that is several hundred meters away while driving onthe downtown street is extremely difficult (due to an increased numberof reflections) and not critical. An additional advantage may includereducing interference to other nearby condition monitoring systems ofother vehicles.

In some embodiments, the vehicle may comprise the condition monitoringsystem. The processor and associated components may utilize informationreceived from one or more other components to dynamically and adaptivelycontrol the power and/or strength of the radiated signals of thecondition monitoring system. In some embodiments, the processor may beconfigured to calculate an adjustment to an existing radiated signalbased on current information (e.g., speed or position) of the vehicle.For example, if the condition monitoring system is already generatingand emitting the radiated signal, then the processor may determine,based on the information received from the one or more other components,an amount by which the power of the radiated signal is to be adjusted(e.g., reduced or increased) to more appropriately apply to currentconditions of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the processor may beconfigured to make adjustments to the radiated signal dynamically. Insome embodiments, the speed or frequency with which the adjustments aremade to the radiated signal depends on the speed or the location of thevehicle. For example, when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed orin a location with a high speed limit (e.g., a freeway), the conditionmonitoring system may monitor and adjust parameters of the radiatedsignal on a more frequent basis than when the vehicle is traveling atslower speeds.

The following detailed description is directed to certain specificembodiments. However, the described technology can be embodied in amultitude of different ways. It should be apparent that the aspectsherein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specificstructure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merelyrepresentative. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the artshould appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implementedindependently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspectsmay be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented orsuch a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, orstructure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more ofthe aspects set forth herein. Further, the systems and methods describedherein may be implemented on a variety of different computing devicesthat can control or assist in the control of a vehicle.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a vehicle traveling along a roadway ina left lane where a person is standing in the left lane in front of thevehicle in a direction of vehicle travel, in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure. As depicted, the vehicle 110 is traveling along theroadway 105. The direction of travel along the roadway 105 in thedrawing is from the bottom of the page to the top of the page. FIG. 1Adepicts two lanes of travel for the roadway 105, a left lane 106 and aright lane 107. The vehicle 110 is traveling in the left lane 106 and isbroadcasting or emitting a signal 115 in the direction of travel of thevehicle (e.g., in front of the vehicle). Additionally, FIG. 1A depicts aperson 120 standing in the lane 106 of the roadway 105 in the directionof travel of the vehicle 110. Though not shown in this figure, thevehicle 110 may also receive reflections corresponding to reflections ofthe signal 115 from objects in front of the vehicle 110 (e.g.,reflections of the signal 115 from the person 120).

The signal 115 may be used by one or more systems (e.g., an adaptivespeed control or accident prevention system) of the vehicle to detectand/or otherwise identify the person 120 to which the one or moresystems must respond. For example, when the system is one of theadaptive speed control or the accident prevention systems, the signal115 may be used to detect the person 120 (or any other object) in thepath of the vehicle 110 that the vehicle 110 must slow down to avoid. Insome embodiments, the system may identify or detect the object in thepath of the vehicle 110 based on the reflection of the signal 115 fromany objects in the path of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the systemmay be configured to receive a signal directly from the object in thepath of the vehicle 110. For example, the system may receive an optical,radio frequency (RF), or other acoustic signal from the object. In someembodiments, the system may receive a data signal providing geographicor other location data either dependent on or independent fromgeographic or location data of the vehicle 110. The received signal maybe used to indicate a location or position of the object 120 in the pathof the vehicle 110.

In some embodiments, the vehicle 110 may comprise one or more sensors(not shown) that are configured to generate and emit the signal 115 in adirection away from the vehicle 110 and in front of the vehicle 110. Theone or more sensors may be further configured to receive the refectionof the generated signal from any object (e.g., the person 120 of FIG.1A) in front of the vehicle 110. The one or more sensors may be furtherconfigured to determine a distance of the person 120 from the vehicle110. In some aspects, the sensor may be configured to determine thedistance of the person 120 from the vehicle 110 based on a time offlight of the signal 115 and its reflection from the person 120. In someaspect, the sensor may be configured to determine the distance of theperson 120 from the vehicle 110 based on the phase or intensity ofreflection of the generated signal. In some aspects, other methods maybe used to determine a distance between the person 120 and the vehicle110. In some aspects, the sensor may be coupled to a processor orcontroller (not shown) that is configured to determine the distance ofthe person 120 from the vehicle 110. In some aspects, the determineddistance from the vehicle 110 to the person 120 may be displayed for auser of the vehicle 110 (not shown in this figure).

In some aspects, the one or more sensors may comprise one or morecomponents configured to generate and emit the signal 115 and thereceipt of the reflection of the signal 115 off the person 120 may beperformed by one or more receipt components.

In some aspects, the one or more sensors may emit the signals 115 in oneor more directions other than the direction of travel of the vehicle110. For example, in some aspects, the one or more sensors may beconfigured to emit the signal 115 to detect one or more objectsapproaching the roadway 105 on which the vehicle 110 is traveling in aperpendicular (or approximately perpendicular) directly. In such a use,the signal 115 may be used to detect one or more objects that mayapproach the roadway 105 and that may create an obstacle in front of thevehicle 110 (e.g., as part of an accident avoidance system, etc.). Sucha system may be used to detect cross-traffic at intersections or similarcross-traffic situations or detect wildlife or pedestrians, etc., inhigh crossing areas. The sensors may be similarly used to detect crosstraffic when reversing or detect traffic in neighboring lanes whenattempting to switch lanes.

FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the vehicle 110 traveling alongthe roadway 105 where the person 120A and another person 120B arestanding in front of the vehicle 110 in the direction of vehicle traveland where the vehicle 110 is shown sending a signal 115 or pulse that isreflected from the person 120A and the person 120B, in accordance withaspects of this disclosure. FIG. 1B shows the scene of FIG. 1A from ahorizontal view point. As described herein, the vehicle 110 may includea processor or controller that uses the reflection 116A to determine thedistance of the person 120A from the vehicle 110. In some aspects, thesame signal 115 may continue past the person 120A and also reflect off aperson 120B, causing reflection 116B of the signal 115 from the person120B. Thus, the single signal 115 may be used to identify multipleobjects in front of the vehicle 110. Similarly, a single signal ormultiple signals generated and emitted in any direction may identifymultiple objects in that direction in relation to the vehicle 110.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of an adaptively controlled conditionmonitoring system 200 (e.g., a computer system or vehicle control unitor system) that includes a GPS device 205, a speedometer 210, anadvanced driver assistance system (ADAS) 215, a LIDAR system 220, and aperson 225, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. In someembodiments, the adaptively controlled condition monitoring system 200may be installed in the vehicle 110 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B). Theadaptively controlled condition monitoring system 200 may be installedon a vehicle and configured to dynamically control the power of theLIDAR system 220 based on the speed or position of the vehicle 110.

The GPS device 205 may be configured to generate a position signalidentifying a position or location of the vehicle 110. For example, theGPS device 205 may determine that the vehicle 110 is located on aresidential street having a school in the vicinity. The speedometer 210may be configured to generate a speed signal identifying a speed orvelocity of the vehicle 110. For example, the speedometer 210 maydetermine that the vehicle 110 is traveling at less than 30 MPH. TheLIDAR 220 may be configured to generate and emit radiated signals 115(corresponding to the signal 115 of FIGS. 1A and 1B) such as lasers inone or more directions and receive reflections 116 (corresponding to thereflection 116 of FIG. 1B) of the radiated signals from objects in thepaths of the signals. As will be described in further detail in relationto FIG. 2B, the GPS 205, the speedometer 210, and the LIDAR 220 may bereplaced with similar components providing similar functionality invarious aspects.

The ADAS 215 may receive the location information of the vehicle 110from the GPS device 205. The ADAS 215 may further receive the speedinformation of the vehicle 110 from the speedometer 210. The ADAS 215may use either one or both of the location information and the speedinformation to generate a laser power control signal. The laser powercontrol signal may include commands and/or instructions to the LIDAR 220regarding the power and/or strength at which the radiated signals of theLIDAR should be generated and emitted. The LIDAR 220 generates theradiated signal 115 that reflects from the person 225.

As described herein, the ADAS 215 may dynamically adjust the signal 115emitted from the vehicle 110. As shown in FIG. 2A, the signal 115 may bedynamically adjusted based one or more of location information and speedinformation. For example, as the speed of the vehicle 110 increases (oras the position of the vehicle 110 indicates the vehicle 110 ispositioned on a road with a higher speed limit), the power of the lasersof the LIDAR 220 may increase. Similarly, as the speed of the vehicle110 decreases (or as the position of the vehicle 110 indicates thevehicle 110 is positioned on a road with a lower speed limit), the powerof the lasers of the LIDAR 220 may decrease. In some aspects, therelationship between the vehicle 110 speed and the laser power may belinear. In some aspects, this relationship may be non-linear.

In some embodiments, the ADAS 215 may control the radiated laser powerbased on detecting a nearest object away from the vehicle 110. Forexample, the ADAS 215 may command the LIDAR 220 to generate the radiatedlaser signals starting at a low power setting. When the radiated lasersignals are emitted, if no reflection is received from the emittedsignals, the ADAS 215 may command the LIDAR 220 to increment the powersettings and emit radiated laser signals at the higher power setting.The ADAS 215 may continue to increment the power settings untilreflections are received from one or more objects. In such anembodiment, the ADAS 215 may select the “low power setting” based on theposition or speed of the vehicle 110 such that the minimum brakingdistance of the vehicle 110 at a particular speed is always consideredin the power settings.

FIG. 2B illustrates a generic circuit diagram illustrating an example ofcomponents that may form the adaptively controlled condition monitoringsystem 200 of FIG. 2A, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Insome embodiments, the adaptively controlled condition monitoring system200 may be installed in the vehicle 110 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B). Theadaptively controlled condition monitoring system 200 includes apositioning/geolocation circuit 205 with an optional antenna 206, aspeed/vehicle motion sensor 210, a memory circuit 216, acontroller/processor circuit 217, an object detection sensor 221, and adetection logic circuit 222.

In some embodiments, the memory 216 and the processor 217 may form theADAS 215. In some aspects the memory 216 and the processor 217 maymerely include and/or perform functions of the ADAS 215 but not form anADAS 215 component. In this example, the memory 216 may includeinstructions for instructing the processor 217 to implement theadaptively controlled detections methods in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure.

Similarly, in some embodiments, the object detection sensor 221 and thedetection logic circuit 222 may form the LIDAR 220 of FIG. 2A. In someaspects the object detection sensors 221 and the detection logiccircuits 222 may merely include and/or perform functions of the LIDAR220 but not form a LIDAR 220 component. In this example, the objectdetection sensor 221 may include hardware for generating and emittingthe radiated signals (e.g., the signal 115 of FIGS. 1A-2A) and forreceiving the reflected signals (e.g., the reflected signal 116 of FIGS.1B and 2A). For example, the object detection sensor(s) 221 may comprisean emitter (EMIT) 221A. The emitter 221A may generate and emit theradiated signals, for example in a direction of travel of the vehiclecomprising the monitoring system 200. The object detection sensor(s) 221may comprise a detector (DETECT) 221B. The detector 221B may beconfigured to receive the reflected signals and provide them to thedetection logic circuit 222. The detection logic circuit 222 may use theradiated and reflected signals to determine a distance between the LIDAR220 and the object (e.g., the person 225) from which the reflectedsignals reflect. Though the object detection sensor 221 and thedetection logic circuit 222 are defined herein as forming the LIDAR 220,the object detection sensor 221 and the detection logic circuit 222 mayform any sensor that detects objects in a given direction (or aplurality of given directions) using any type of generated and emittedsignal, including acoustic, optical, or any other signal on theelectromagnetic spectrum. For example, the LIDAR 220 may be replacedwith an ultrasonic sensor system 220.

The positioning circuit 205 may include an optional antenna 206 and maycomprise any circuit, component, or device that generates and/oridentifies a position of the vehicle 110 in which the positioningcircuit 205 is installed. For example, the positioning circuit 205 mayidentify a geographic position or location of the vehicle 110. In someaspects, the positioning circuit 205 may comprise a global positioningsystem (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), or a localpositioning system and may be able to provide the geographic position oflocation of the vehicle 110 on a global scale or on a more localizedscale. In some embodiments, the optional antenna may be configured totransmit and/or receive signals from associated components of theutilized positioning or navigation system. For example, the antenna 206may receive signals from satellites which the positioning circuit 205then uses to determine a position of the vehicle 110.

The vehicle motion sensor 210 may comprise any circuit, component,sensor, or device that determines or identifies one or more motionparameters of the vehicle 110 in which the vehicle motion sensor 210 isinstalled. For example, the vehicle motion sensor 210 may determine thatthe vehicle 110 is in motion and may then identify one or more of aspeed and direction of the vehicle 110. In some aspects, the vehiclemotion sensor 210 may comprise a speedometer, a rotations per minute(RPM) gauge of an engine of the vehicle 110, or a GPS, GNSS, or localpositioning system.

The object detection sensor 221 may comprise any circuit, component,sensor, or device that generates and emits signal that can be used todetect an object in the path of the signal emission. Accordingly, theobject detection sensor 221 comprises components necessary forgenerating and emitting the radiated signal and receiving a reflectionof the radiated signal off an object in the signal's path (or othercommunication in response to the emitted signal). For example, in someembodiments, the object detection sensor 221 may comprise a lightdetection and ranging (LIDAR) system, a radio detection and ranging(RADAR) system, or any other object detection system that emits a signaland receives a reflection or response caused by the emitted signal. Insome embodiments, the object detection sensor 221 may comprise acommunication device that communicates with other devices to determinepositions of the other devices in relation to the vehicle 110.

In some aspects, the object detection sensor 221 may comprise a powersupply (not shown in this figure) for generating the radiated signal, atransmitter (not shown) for transmitting the signal, and a receiver (notshown) for receiving the reflection or the response to the signal. Insome embodiments, the object detection sensor 221 may receive a command(e.g., from the processor 217) instructing the object detection sensor221 to generate and transmit a signal for detecting the object in aparticular direction, for example in front of the vehicle 110 or in adirection of travel of the vehicle 110. In some aspects, the receivedcommand may include one or more of a direction in which to transmit thesignal, a type of signal to transmit if the object detection sensor 221is configured to generate multiple types of signals (e.g., radio,optical, etc.), a quantity of signals to generate and transmit or aduration over which the signals are to be generated and transmitted, anda strength or accuracy desired of the transmitted signal(s). Based onthe command, the object detection sensor 221 generates and transmits theradiated signals in one or more directions. If the signals are impededby an object in their paths, a reflection and/or response may be createdby each object in their paths, and that reflection and/or response maybe received by the object detection sensor 221. In some embodiments,adjusting the power or strength of the radiated signal may compriseadjusting one or more of its intensity, luminance, frequency, beamdiameter, divergence, and/or an orientation or direction in relation tothe vehicle in which the signal is emitted. In some embodiments,adjusting a power of the radiated signals may comprise activating ordeactivating one or more lasers. While one or more of these parametersmay apply only to lasers or other optical signals, those of skill willunderstand that the same or similar parameters may be controlled inacoustic or RF signals to similarly control strengths or powers ofradiated signals.

In some embodiments, the object detection sensor 221 may generate anoutput that corresponds to a parameter of the received reflection orresponse. For example, the output may include a duration that passedbetween the transmission of the generated signal and the receivedreflection or response, one or more parameters regarding the transmittedsignal, and one or more parameters regarding the received reflection orresponse (e.g., a strength, etc., of the reflection). In someembodiments, the object detection sensor 221 may communicate thegenerated output to the detection logic circuit 222.

The detection logic circuit 222 may comprise an optional circuit,component, or device that receives the output from the object detectionsensor 221 based on the transmission of the signal and the receivedreflection or response. In some aspects, the detection logic circuit 222may determine a distance of the object that reflected the signal orotherwise generated a response from the vehicle 110 including the system200. In some embodiments, the detection logic circuit 222 may use theduration of time along with associated speeds of the transmitted signaland the received reflection or response to calculate the distance of theobject from the vehicle 110. In some embodiments, the detection logiccircuit 222 may be integrated with the object detection sensor 221. Insome embodiments, the functionality of the detection logic circuit 222may be integrated with the processor 217.

In an illustrative embodiment of the system 200 in operation, the ADAS215 (via the memory 216 and the processor 217) may receive informationfrom one or both of the positioning circuit 205 and the vehicle motionsensor 210. Based on the received information, the ADAS 215 maycalculate or otherwise determine the power and/or strength (or otherparameters) to include in the command sent to the LIDAR 220. The LIDAR220 then uses its object detection sensor 221 (or similar component) togenerate the radiated laser signals according to the received commandand emit the radiated laser signals from the object detection sensor221. The laser signal travels away from the vehicle 110 until it reachesan object that is in its path, for example, the person 225 of FIG. 2A.The laser signal then reflects from the object. This reflection thentravels back from the object to the receiving component of the objectdetection sensor 221. The object detection sensor 221 may generate theoutput signal that is communicated to the detection logic circuit 222and/or the processor 217. When the output signal generated by the objectdetection sensor 221 is communicated to the detection logic circuit 222,the detection logic circuit 221 may determine the distance between thevehicle 110 and the object. In some aspects, when the output signalgenerated by the object detection sensor 221 is communicated directly tothe processor 217, the processor 217 may determine the distance betweenthe vehicle 110 and the object.

In some aspects, the system 200 further comprises a display (not shown).The display may be configured to display information regarding adetected object and/or information regarding the signal generated andemitted by the object detection sensor 221. In some aspects, theinformation regarding the detected object may include the distance fromthe detected object to the LIDAR 220, a size of the detected object, avelocity and/or speed of the detected object, etc. In some aspects, theinformation regarding the generated and emitted signal may include astrength of the signal (e.g., its intensity, luminance, frequency, beamdiameter, divergence, etc.) and/or an orientation or direction inrelation to the vehicle in which the signal is emitted. While one ormore of these parameters may apply only to lasers or other opticalsignals, those of skill will understand that the same or similarparameters may be controlled in acoustic or RF signals to similarlycontrol strengths of signals. In one aspect, the display may beconfigured to allow an operator of the system 200 or of the vehicle 110in which the system 200 is in use to adjust one or more operationalconditions of the system 200. In some aspects, the system 200 furthercomprises an input device (not shown).

The input device may take on many forms depending on the implementation.In some implementations, the input device may be integrated with thedisplay so as to form a touch screen. In other implementations, theinput device may include separate keys or buttons or near the display.These keys or buttons may provide input for navigation of a menu that isdisplayed on the display. In other implementations, the input device maybe an input port. For example, the input device may provide foroperative coupling of another device to the display and the system 200.The display or system 200 may then receive input from an attachedkeyboard or mouse via the input device. In still other embodiments, theinput device may be remote from and communicate with the display orsystem 200 over a communication network, e.g., a wireless network or ahardwired network.

The memory 216 may be utilized by the processor 217 to store datadynamically created during operation of the system 200. In someinstances, the memory 216 may include a separate working memory in whichto store the dynamically created data. For example, instructions storedin the memory 216 may be stored in the working memory when executed bythe processor 217. The working memory may also store dynamic run timedata, such as stack or heap data utilized by programs executing onprocessor 217. The memory 216 may be utilized to store data created bythe system 200. For example, data regarding objects identified in thepath of the vehicle 110 may be stored in the memory 216. In someaspects, the memory 216 may be located remotely, i.e., not integral withthe system 200, and may receive data via the communication network.

Furthermore, as described herein, the ADAS 215 may use data stored inthe memory 216 and functions of the processor 217 to generate a signalto control the vehicle 110 based on the detected object. For example,the memory 216 may include one or more data files or structuresincluding instructions or commands to communicate to the vehicle if thesystem 200 identifies an object within a specific distance of thevehicle 110. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 217 maygenerate a signal to a braking system of the vehicle 110 to command thevehicle 110 to stop or slow based on the determined distance between thevehicle 110 and the detected object. In some embodiments, the processor217 may generate a signal to a safety system of the vehicle 110 thatinstructs the airbags be deployed and/or seatbelts and other restraintsbe placed in a tense mode. In some embodiments, based on one or moredetected objects, the processor 217 may generated instructions orcommands to the safety or other system of the vehicle 110 to closeand/or lock all windows, doors, etc., such that the system 200 mayprovide further functionality to existing automated systems of thevehicle 110. In some embodiments, the processor 217 may generatecommunications from the vehicle 110 to another external system based ondetected conditions.

In some embodiments, the memory 216 may include data regardingcorrelations between speeds of the vehicle and radiated power/strengthsettings of the object detection sensor 221. For example, the memory 216may include data including appropriate parameters for the radiatedsignal given the vehicle speed and/or location inputs. Thus, when theprocessor 217 of the ADAS 215 receives an input from the speedometerthat the vehicle 110 is traveling at 25 MPH, the processor 217 mayaccess memory 216 to identify from the data what the appropriate powersettings for the radiated signals of the object detection sensor 221. Insome embodiments, the processor 217 may determine an amount to changethe radiated signal power settings based on this data, where the memory216 may include data regarding previous power settings and speed orposition information. Thus, the processor 217 may identify a current setof parameters for the radiated signal that were based on a previouslyinput vehicle speed or position (stored in the memory 216). By comparingthe previously input vehicle speed or position, the processor 217 candetermine the adjustment to the radiated signal based on a differencebetween the previously input vehicle speed and/or position and thecurrent vehicle speed and/or position.

In some embodiments, the memory 216 may include one or more thresholds.For example, the memory 216 may include a maximum power (or similar)threshold configured to establish a maximum power for the radiatedsignal. Similarly, the memory 216 may include a minimum power thresholdthat establishes a minimum power threshold for the radiated signal. Insome embodiments, the user of the vehicle 110 or the system 200 may beenabled to change the minimum and maximum power thresholds via an inputdevice (described herein). In some embodiments, the memory 216 mayinclude maximum and minimum thresholds for various vehicle speeds. Forexample, highway speeds (or positions) may have a higher minimumthreshold than residential speeds (or positions). Similarly, residentialspeeds (or positions) may have a lower maximum threshold than highwayspeeds (or positions). These minimum and maximum thresholds may act asclamps within which the power of the radiated signals must bemaintained.

As described herein, the memory 216 may be considered a computerreadable medium and stores instructions for instructing the processor217 to perform various functions in accordance with this disclosure. Forexample, in some aspects, the memory 216 may be configured to storeinstructions that cause the processor 217 to perform method 400, orportion(s) thereof, as described below and as illustrated in FIG. 4 .

In one implementation, the instructions stored in the memory 216 mayinclude instructions for performing adaptive or dynamic adjustment ofthe strength of the signal generated and emitted by the object detectionsensor 221. In some embodiments, these instructions may compriseadjusting one or more of the intensity, luminance, or frequency of thesignal when the signal is an optical (e.g., laser) signal. When thesignal is another type of signal, different parameters or aspects of thesignal may be adaptively or dynamically adjusted. The instructions mayconfigure the processor 217 to receive and review the informationreceived from the positioning circuit 205 and/or the vehicle motionsensor 210. Based on the information received from one or both of thesecircuits, the processor 217 may determine how to adjust the signal beinggenerated by the object detection sensor 221. The processor 217 may thenprovide the command to the object detection sensor 221 including theadjusted information such that the signal generated and emitted by theobject detection sensor 221 is adjusted according to the determinationsof the processor 217 and based on one or both of the position circuit205 and the vehicle motion sensor 210.

In some embodiments, the dynamic and/or adjusted information stored inthe memory 216 may be further involved with the adaptive or dynamicadjustment of the strength of the generated and emitted signal. Forexample, the inputs received from the position circuit 205 and/or thevehicle motion sensor 210 may be used in conjunction with one or moretables or similar storage structures that provide correspondence betweendifferent positions or speeds with strength adjustments for the signalgenerated and emitted by the object detection sensor 221. Accordingly,for example, a speed of the vehicle 110, as received by the processor217 from the vehicle motion sensor 210, may be used to “lookup” astrength at which the signal generated by the object detection sensorshould be emitted to most efficiently and effectively identify an objectin the direction in which the signal is emitted.

In some aspects, the system 200 may further include an integratedcircuit (IC) that may include at least one processor or processorcircuit (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and/or a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), wherein the GPU may include one or moreprogrammable compute units.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an adaptively controlledcondition monitoring device 300 corresponding to the system 200 that maybe employed as depicted in FIGS. 1-2B, in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure. The functional block diagram of FIG. 3 includes aposition information input unit 305, a speed information input unit 310,a power determination unit 315, and a power control output unit 320. Thepositioning information input unit 305, the speed information input unit310, the power determination unit 315, and the power control output unit320 may all be integrated into the single device 300. The device 300 maycomprise a self-contained device that may retrofit into existingvehicles having LIDAR or other preexisting condition monitoring system.One or more of the position information input unit 305, the speedinformation input unit 310, the power determination unit 315, and thepower control output unit 320 may share a processor, a memory, acommunication interface, a power supply, or any other operationalcomponent to minimize cost and size of the device 300.

The position information input unit 305 may comprise similar componentsand functionality as the positioning circuit 205 of FIG. 2B. Similarly,the speed information input unit 310 may comprise similar components andfunctionality as the vehicle motion sensor 210 of FIG. 2B. The powerdetermination unit 315 may comprise similar components and functionalityas the ADAS 215 of FIG. 2B. The power control output unit 320 maycomprise similar components and functionality as the LIDAR 220 of FIG.2B.

Example Flowcharts for Dynamic and Adaptive Radiated Signal PowerControl

FIG. 4 is a process flowchart illustrating an example method 400 foradaptively controlling radiated signals operable by the adaptivelycontrolled condition monitoring system 200 of FIGS. 1-3 , in accordancewith aspects of this disclosure. For example, the method 400 could beperformed by the processor 217 illustrated in FIG. 2B. In some aspects,the method 400 may be performed by the system 200 or the ADAS 215illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. A person having ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that the method 400 may be implemented by othersuitable devices and systems. Although the method 400 is describedherein with reference to a particular order, in various aspects, blocksherein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additionalblocks may be added.

The method 400 begins at block 401. At block 405, the processor 217generates a laser having a radiated power. In some embodiments, thelaser may be generated by the object detection sensor 221 of FIG. 2B. Atblock 410, the processor 217 emits the laser in a direction of travel ofthe vehicle. In some embodiments, the laser is emitted by the objectdetection sensor 221. At block 415, the processor 217 receives one ormore reflections of the emitted laser reflected from the one or moreobjects located in the direction of travel of the vehicle. In someembodiments, the object detection sensor 221 may receive the one or morereflections. At block 420, the processor 217 may generate a signalindicating that the one or more objects is in a path of the vehiclebased on the received one or more reflections if one or more reflectionsare received. In some embodiments, the generated signal may becommunicated to one or more other systems of the vehicle 110. At block425, the processor 217 may dynamically adjust the radiated power of thelaser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a currentspeed of the vehicle 110 or (ii) a current position of the vehicle 110.In some embodiments, the processor may generate the command todynamically adjust the radiated power of the laser for communication tothe object detection sensor 221, which adjusts the radiated power (e.g.,one or more of intensity, luminance, frequency, beam diameter,divergence, and/or an orientation or direction in relation to thevehicle in which the signal is emitted). The method ends at block 430.

An apparatus or system for adaptively controlling radiated signals mayperform one or more of the functions of method 400, in accordance withcertain aspects described herein. The apparatus or system may comprise ameans for generating a laser. In certain aspects, the means forgenerating a laser can be implemented by the object detection sensor 221(e.g., the emitter 221A) (FIG. 2B) or the LIDAR 220. In certain aspects,the means for generating a laser can be configured to perform thefunctions of block 405 (FIG. 4 ). The apparatus or system may furthercomprise means for emitting the laser in a direction of travel of thevehicle. In certain aspects, the means for emitting the laser can beimplemented by the object detection sensor 221 (e.g., the emitter 221A)or the LIDAR 220. In certain aspects, the means for emitting the lasercan be configured to perform the functions of block 410 (FIG. 4 ).

The apparatus or system further comprises a means for receiving one ormore reflections of the emitted laser. In certain aspects, the means forreceiving one or more reflections can be implemented by the objectdetection sensor 221 or the LIDAR 220. In certain aspects, the means forreceiving one or more reflections can be configured to perform thefunctions of block 415. The apparatus or system may further comprisemeans for generating a signal indicating that the one or more objectsare in a path of the vehicle. In certain aspects, the means forgenerating a signal can be implemented by the object detection sensor221, the processor 217, the detection logic circuit 222, or the LIDAR220. In certain aspects, the means for generating a signal can beconfigured to perform the functions of block 420 (FIG. 4 ).

The apparatus or system further comprises a means for dynamicallyadjusting the radiated power of the laser based on an input of a speedor location of the vehicle. In certain aspects, the means fordynamically adjusting the radiated power can be implemented by theobject detection sensor 221, the processor 217, or the LIDAR 220. Incertain aspects, the means for dynamically adjusting the radiated powercan be configured to perform the functions of block 425 (FIG. 4 ).

Other Considerations

The various operations of methods described above may be performed byany suitable means capable of performing the operations, such as varioushardware and/or software component(s), circuits, and/or module(s).Generally, any operations illustrated in the Figures may be performed bycorresponding functional means capable of performing the operations.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety ofdifferent technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions,commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may bereferenced throughout the above description may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and methodsteps described in connection with the implementations disclosed hereinmay be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionalitymay be implemented in varying ways for each particular application, butsuch implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the implementations.

In some embodiments, the circuits, processes, and systems discussedabove may be utilized in a car, truck, bus, marine craft, aircraft, orother vehicle. The vehicle may include one or more processors, one ormore sensors, and a memory including instructions or modules forcarrying out the processes discussed above. The device may also have oneor more communication interfaces, one or more input devices, and one ormore output devices such as a display device. The wireless communicationinterface may additionally include a transmitter and a receiver. Thetransmitter and receiver may be jointly referred to as a transceiver.The transceiver may be coupled to one or more antennas for transmittingand/or receiving wireless signals. The wireless communication interfacemay allow the vehicle to wirelessly connect to vehicle. In someembodiments, the wireless communication interface may interface withusers wireless via one or more of laptop or desktop computers, cellularphones, smart phones, wireless modems, e-readers, tablet devices, gamingsystems, etc. The wireless communication interface may operate inaccordance with one or more industry standards such as the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP).

The functions described herein may be stored as one or more instructionson a processor-readable or computer-readable medium. The term“computer-readable medium” refers to any available medium that can beaccessed by a computer or processor. By way of example, and notlimitation, such a medium may include random-access memory (RAM),read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM), flash memory or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium thatcan be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions ordata structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc,as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc,digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray® disc where disksusually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. It should be noted that a computer-readablemedium may be tangible and non-transitory. The term “computer-programproduct” refers to a computing device or processor in combination withcode or instructions (e.g., a “program”) that may be executed, processedor computed by the computing device or processor. As used herein, theterm “code” may refer to software, instructions, code or data thatis/are executable by a computing device or processor.

The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions forachieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may beinterchanged with one another without departing from the scope of theclaims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions isrequired for proper operation of the method that is being described, theorder and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modifiedwithout departing from the scope of the claims.

It should be noted that the terms “couple,” “coupling,” “coupled” orother variations of the word couple as used herein may indicate eitheran indirect connection or a direct connection. For example, if a firstcomponent is “coupled” to a second component, the first component may beeither indirectly connected to the second component or directlyconnected to the second component. As used herein, the term “plurality”denotes two or more. For example, a plurality of components indicatestwo or more components.

The term “determining” encompasses a wide variety of actions and,therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing,deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, adatabase or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also,“determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information),accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also,“determining” can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishingand the like.

The phrase “based on” does not mean “based only on,” unless expresslyspecified otherwise. In other words, the phrase “based on” describesboth “based only on” and “based at least on.”

In the foregoing description, specific details are given to provide athorough understanding of the examples. However, it will be understoodby one of ordinary skill in the art that the examples may be practicedwithout these specific details. For example, electricalcomponents/devices may be shown in block diagrams in order not toobscure the examples in unnecessary detail. In other instances, suchcomponents, other structures and techniques may be shown in detail tofurther explain the examples.

Headings are included herein for reference and to aid in locatingvarious sections. These headings are not intended to limit the scope ofthe concepts described with respect thereto. Such concepts may haveapplicability throughout the entire specification.

It is also noted that the examples may be described as a process, whichis depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a finite state diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describethe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel, or concurrently, and the process can be repeated.In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A processis terminated when its operations are completed. A process maycorrespond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, asubprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a software function, itstermination corresponds to a return of the function to the callingfunction or the main function.

The previous description of the disclosed implementations is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentdisclosure. Various modifications to these implementations will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principlesdefined herein may be applied to other implementations without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosureis not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein but isto be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of detecting one or more objectsapproaching a path of travel of a vehicle, comprising: generating afirst laser signal transmission having a first radiated power in adirection other than the path of travel; determining that no reflectionsof the first laser signal transmission off of objects in the directionother than the path of travel are received; generating a second lasersignal transmission having a second radiated power in the directionother than the path of travel in response to determining that noreflections of the first laser signal transmissions off of objects inthe direction other than the path of travel were received, wherein thesecond radiated power is greater than the first radiated power, andwherein the greater radiated power includes a greater beam diameter;receiving one or more reflections of the second laser signaltransmission reflected from the one or more objects located in thedirection other than the path of travel of the vehicle; generating anindication that the one or more objects are proximate to a path of thevehicle based on the received one or more reflections; dynamicallyadjusting the radiated power of the second laser signal transmissionbased on (i) a current speed of the vehicle or (ii) a current positionof the vehicle, or a combination thereof; and limiting the radiatedpower of the second laser signal transmission based on a maximum powerthreshold, wherein the maximum power threshold is adjusted based upon aspeed limit associated with the current position of the vehicle.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising receiving the current speed fromone or more of a GPS device or a speedometer and wherein the currentposition is received from the GPS device.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the lasertransmission comprises dynamically adjusting the radiated power of thelaser transmission based on the current speed of the vehicle, whereinthe current speed of the vehicle is linearly related to the radiatedpower of the laser transmission such that as the current speed of thevehicle increases, the radiated power increases, and as the currentspeed of the vehicle decreases, the radiated power decreases.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising determining an adjustment for theradiated power of the laser transmission based on one or morecalculations using the current speed or the current position of thevehicle as a variable in the one or more calculations.
 5. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising determining an adjustment for the radiatedpower of the laser transmission based on correlated radiated power andspeed information stored in a memory.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe maximum power threshold is adjusted based upon a proximity of aschool to the current position of the vehicle.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein a first speed of the vehicle will result in a first radiatedpower of the laser transmission and a second speed of the vehicle thatis greater than the first speed will result in a second radiated powerof the laser transmission that is greater than the first radiated power.8. An apparatus for detecting one or more objects approaching a path oftravel of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: an optical circuitcomprising a laser and configured to: generate a first laser signaltransmission having a radiated power in a direction other than the pathof travel, determine that no reflections of the first laser signaltransmission off of objects in the direction other than the path oftravel are received, generate a second laser signal transmission havinga second radiated power in the direction other than the path of travelin response to determining that no reflections of the first laser signaltransmission off of objects in the direction other than the path oftravel were received, wherein the second radiated power is greater thanthe first radiated power, and wherein the greater radiated powerincludes a greater beam diameter, receive one or more reflections of thesecond laser signal transmission reflected from the one or more objectsin the direction other than the path of travel of the vehicle, andgenerate an indication that the one or more objects are proximate to apath of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections; acontroller configured to dynamically adjust the radiated power of thesecond laser signal transmission based on (i) a current speed of thevehicle or (ii) a current position of the vehicle, or a combinationthereof, wherein the controller is further configured to limit theradiated power of the second laser signal transmission based on amaximum power threshold, wherein the maximum power threshold is adjustedbased upon a speed limit associated with the current position of thevehicle.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the current speed isreceived from one or more of a GPS device and a speedometer and whereinthe current position is received from the GPS device.
 10. The apparatusof claim 8, wherein the radiated power of the laser is dynamicallyadjusted based on the current speed of the vehicle, wherein the currentspeed of the vehicle is linearly related to the radiated power of thelaser such that as the current speed of the vehicle increases, theradiated power increases, and as the current speed of the vehicledecreases, the radiated power decreases.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the controller is further configured to determine an adjustmentfor the radiated power of the laser based on one or more calculationsusing the current speed or the current position of the vehicle as avariable.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller isfurther configured to determine an adjustment for the radiated power ofthe laser based on correlated radiated power and speed informationstored in a memory.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controlleris further configured to adjust the maximum power threshold based upon aproximity of a school to the current position of the vehicle.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein a first speed of the vehicle will resultin a first radiated power of the laser and a second speed of the vehiclethat is greater than the first speed will result in a second radiatedpower of the laser that is greater than the first radiated power.
 15. Anapparatus for detecting one or more objects approaching a path of travelof a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: means for generating a firstlaser signal transmission having a first radiated power in a directionother than the path of travel; means for determining that no reflectionsof the first laser signal transmission off of objects in the directionother than the path of travel are received; means for generating asecond laser signal transmission having a second radiated power in thedirection other than the path of travel in response to determining thatno reflections of the first laser signal transmissions off of objects inthe direction other than the path of travel are received, wherein thesecond radiated power is greater than the first radiated power, andwherein the greater radiated power includes a greater beam diameter;means for receiving one or more reflections of the second laser signaltransmission reflected from the one or more objects located in thedirection other than the path of travel the vehicle; means forgenerating an indication that the one or more objects are proximate to apath of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections; meansfor dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the second laser signaltransmission based on (i) a current speed of the vehicle, or (ii) acurrent position of the vehicle, or a combination thereof; and means forlimiting radiated power of the second laser signal transmission based ona maximum power threshold, wherein the maximum power threshold isadjusted based a speed limit associated with the current position of thevehicle.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means forreceiving the current speed from one or more of a GPS device and aspeedometer and wherein the current position is received from the GPSdevice.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for dynamicallyadjusting the radiated power of the laser transmission comprises meansfor dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser transmission,based on the current speed of the vehicle, wherein the current speed ofthe vehicle is linearly related to the radiated power of the lasertransmission such that as the current speed of the vehicle increases,the radiated power increases, and wherein as the current speed of thevehicle decreases, the radiated power decreases.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 15, wherein the maximum power threshold is adjusted based upon aproximity of a school to the current position of the vehicle.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for determining anadjustment for the radiated power of the laser transmission based on oneor more calculations using the current speed or the current position ofthe vehicle as a variable in the one or more calculations.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for determining anadjustment for the radiated power of the laser transmission based oncorrelated radiated power and speed information stored in a memory. 21.The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a first speed of the vehicle willresult in a first radiated power of the laser transmission and a secondspeed of the vehicle that is greater than the first speed will result ina second radiated power of the laser transmission that is greater thanthe first radiated power.